If a member shall die, before retirement:
(a) If no benefit is payable under subsection (b) of this Section:
(1) Regardless of cause, a death benefit shall be paid to the member's designated beneficiary or estate consisting of the compensation earnable by the member during the six months immediately preceding death, plus the member's contributions and interest credited thereon.
(2) If a member sustains a traumatic bodily injury through external and violent means in the course and scope of employment and death results within 180 days of such injury, an additional insurance benefit of 12 months of compensation earnable shall be paid to the member's designated beneficiary or estate.
(b) If, at the date of his or her death, he or she was qualified for service retirement by reason of service and age under the provisions of Section A8.603-2, and he or she has designated as beneficiary his or her surviving spouse, who was married to him or her for at least one full year immediately prior to the date of his or her death, one-half of the retirement allowance to which the member would have been entitled if he or she had retired for service on the date of his or her death shall be paid to such surviving spouse who was his or her designated beneficiary at the date of his or her death, until such spouse's death or remarriage, or if there be no surviving spouse, to the unmarried child or children of such member under the age of 18 years, collectively, until every such child dies, marries or attains the age of 18 years, provided that no child shall receive any allowance after marrying or attaining the age of 18 years. It at the death of such surviving spouse, who was receiving an allowance under this Subsection (b), there be one or more unmarried children of such member under the age of 18 years, such allowance shall continue to such child or children, collectively, until every such child dies, marries or attains the age of 18 years, provided that no child shall receive any allowance after marrying or attaining the age of 18 years. If the total of the payments of allowance made pursuant to this Subsection (b) is less than the benefit which was otherwise payable under Subsection (a) of this Section, the amount of said benefit payable under Subsection (a) less an amount equal to the total of the payments of allowance made pursuant to this Subsection (b) shall be paid in a lump sum as follows:
(1) If the person last entitled to said allowance is the remarried surviving spouse of such member, to such spouse.
(2) Otherwise, to the surviving children of the member, share and share alike, or if there are no such children, to the estate of the person last entitled to said allowance.
The surviving spouse may elect, on a form provided by the Retirement System and filed in the office of the Retirement System before the first payment of the allowance provided herein, to receive the benefit provided in Subsection (a) of this Section in lieu of the allowance which otherwise would be payable under the provisions of this subdivision. If a surviving spouse, who was entitled to make the election herein provided, shall die before or after making such election but before receiving any payment pursuant to such election, then the legally appointed guardian of the unmarried children of the member under the age of 18 years may make the election herein provided before any benefit has been paid under this Section, for and on behalf of such children if in his or her judgment it appears to be in their interest and advantage, and the election so made shall be binding and conclusive upon all parties in interest.
If any person other than such surviving spouse shall have and be paid a community property interest in any portion of any benefit provided under this Section, any allowance payable under this Subsection (b) shall be reduced by the actuarial equivalent, at the date of the member's death, of the amount of benefits payable to such other person.
Upon the death of a member after retirement and regardless of the cause of death, a death benefit shall be paid to his or her designated beneficiary or estate in the manner and subject to the conditions prescribed by the Board of Supervisors for the payment of a similar death benefit upon the death of other retired members.
Upon the death of a member after retirement, an allowance, in addition to the death benefit provided in the immediately preceding paragraph, shall be paid to his or her surviving spouse, until such surviving spouse's death or remarriage, equal to one-half of his or her retirement allowance as it was prior to optional modification, including the part of such allowance which was provided by additional contributions. No allowance, however, shall be paid under this paragraph to a surviving spouse unless such surviving spouse was married to said member at least one year immediately prior to his or her retirement. If such retired person leaves no such surviving spouse, or if such surviving spouse should die or remarry before every child of such deceased retired person attains the age of 18 years, the allowance which such surviving spouse would have received had he or she lived and not remarried shall be paid to retired person's child or children under said age, collectively, to continue until every such child dies or attains said age, provided that no child shall receive any allowance after marrying or attaining the age of 18 years.
(Added by Proposition C, Approved 11/8/2011)